The Ballad of Mikasa Ackerman
by JoIsJo
Summary: At a very young age, Mikasa is diagnosed with autism and social anxiety. She lacks communication and eye contact, but it doesn't mean Eren isn't always there for her when she needs him. Ever since her parents died, he's been taking care of her almost like an angel; protecting her from bullies and making sure she's happy. But...will this "strictly platonic" relationship shift anew?
1. Chapter I: Prologue

Chapter 1: Prologue

"She paints her fingers with a close precision. She starts to notice empty bottles of gin; and takes a moment to assess the sin she's paid for." -Brendon Urie (P!ATD)

A new mother draped in hospital gowns cradles an infant. But not just any ordinary baby; her first ever baby. The pink blanket nearly disguised her porcelain face. Mumbles and babbles played from the child like music to the new guardian's ears. Her eyes were grey fused with violet irises. Her hair as black as midnight and her skin pale as snow from a painted landscape.

"Welcome to the world, Mikasa Ackerman. Our precious little angel!" the mother, Akane, whispered with tears of happiness escaping her eyes.

The father, Herrick Ackerman, cradled both his wife and new daughter in his muscular arms. "Don't worry, Mikasa. We may not be perfect parents, but we'll try our damnedest to keep you safe, warm and happy." he assured the babbling little girl.

"Herrick! Language!"

"Sorry, Akane. I'll watch my tongue around the little one."

The doctor and nurse quietly stepped in, admiring the newlywed couple before handing over the birth certificate and other important documents in a folder.

"Well, the tests results came back with quite healthy results." the doc insured the couple, shifting his glasses up his nose with his middle and index finger. "She's as healthy as a spring chicken, Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman. She's probably one of the happiest babies I've ever delivered in my 15 years at working in this hospital."

"Thank you, Doctor. We really appreciate your help." Akane smiled.

Mikasa dribbled noises from her tiny lips and nibbled on her mother's pearl necklace that Herrick had gotten her as a wedding gift. Her small toes peeking from the soft fabric of the pink blanket. "Aww! She's trying to talk to us!" the soft-spoken mother cooed. "What is it? Come on, you can tell us!" Herrick added, grinning. Akane then wrapped Mikasa's small form up before handing her to her husband and getting into her wheelchair to be checked out of the hospital.

As they got into the car and began their drive home, Baby Mikasa was strapped in the car seat, looking in astonishment outside her window. She "oohed" at passing cars, "awed" at the tall buildings, and gasped at the bustling citizens trying to make it to work or go to school. She wasn't even a week-old and she already started appreciating the world around her.

Herrick and Akane only giggled at her behavior.

Five Years Later…

Mikasa, now age four, was growing up seemingly like how any child would. She was physically healthy with only the occasional allergies brought on by the shifting of the seasons and only got chicken pox once. She ate right, went outside almost daily, and loved her parents to the moon and back.

However, both Akane and Herrick notice their daughter's behavior and habits. She often performed very repetitive movements such as rocking back and forth and fidgeting with her fingers. Mikasa struggled with eye contact since she was two and although she could talk, she almost never locked eyes with the person she was referring to. One day, Akane caught her banging her head against a wall because she lost her teddy bear she got as a birthday gift.

"Mikasa, stop!" the worried mother cried, picking her child up and cradling her over her chest. She shushed the little girl and cradled her, but the crying still came. "Herrick, start the car! We need to go to the hospital now! What if she has a concussion?!"

Herrick nodded and assisted his wife in placing Mikasa in the car seat booster. They put their seat belts on and drove as quick as they could to the emergency room. As soon as they got there, the doctor's took Mikasa in due to Akane yelling the receptionist after she wasn't being very cooperative. As a mother, you'd do anything to make sure your child would be okay.

The two sat in the waiting room and they started worrying more and more the longer their baby was in one of the ER rooms. "I...I didn't know what to do!" Akane started, letting a few tears waterfall down her cheeks. "I just saw her...hitting her head because she was upset. I thought she hurt herself! I feel like I failed as a mom…"

Herrick shushed his wife when she said those series of sentences. "No! This isn't your fault!" He replied, stroking his wife's long black hair and hugging her. "You did what you thought was right. I would have done the same if I was in your shoes. Mikasa loves you. She loves us both. And I'm sure she's fine."

Akane wiped away a few tears and rested her head on her husband's shoulder. After an hour and a half of waiting, the doctor, named Grisha Jaeger, emerged from the ER doors, holding a clipboard and shifting his glasses. "Well, I have both good news and bad news." he began.

The teary-eyed mother immediately stood from her seat, gathering herself for the results. "Better start with the good news."

"Well, Mikasa does not have a concussion. Just a light bruise on her head."

The couple sighed in relief, wiping away some sweat from their temples. "However, we ran some tests in the meantime. We gathered her symptoms such as lack of eye contact, fidgeting, no response to her name, and delayed speech. We believe she has aspergers syndrome or autism."

The couple didn't seem horrified, but rather curious as to how Grisha came to the conclusion that Mikasa has autism.

"It's not severe though." he continued, reading and summarizing from his clipboard. "She's still physically healthy. Autism is a neurological condition that affects human development in the brain. She'll have stiff body language, repetitive movement, and struggle with eye contact, but she's somewhere in the middle of said spectrum."

The doc then shows them a spectrum chart and he circles the middle with red Sharpie.

Akane looks at him and confidently and said, "It doesn't matter what my daughter has. She'll still be loved by her family and we'll do everything we can for her."

"Yes." Herrick continued. "She's still our little girl. Can...we see her?"

"Of course. I'll instruct my one of my nurses to bring her out. She can go home now" Grisha asked a nurse, who was in her 20's with red hair, to bring out their child. When Mikasa first saw her mommy and daddy, she made a mad dash into their embrace and trembled with all her life.

"MOMMY, DADDY! T-They...They poked me! They took a biiiiiigggg needle and...and...got me right there!" she cried, pointing at her left arm close to her shoulder.

"It's okay, love." Akane coddled. "You're fine. In fact, your just perfect. How about we go get you an ice cream and watch a movie together?" Mikasa gasped and nodded her head excitedly. "'Kay, Mommy! I-I like strawberry!"

The little girl left with her parents, jumping with anticipation for her favorite strawberry frozen treat.

About two weeks later, Akane thought Mikasa would need a friend. Someone who would play with her and watch over her, kinda like a guardian angel. It's true that Mikasa sometimes preferred to play alone, but even she was lonely from time to time. Akane dialed her best friend, Carla and waited as the phone rang for her to pick up.

"Hello?" the muffled voice from the phone spoke.

"Hello, Carla! This is Akane!"

"Akane! It's you! It's been forever since we talked! How's little Mikasa?" Carla nearly squealed.

"Mikasa's fine. Hey listen, I was wondering if you and your son, Eren, would like to come on over. The kids could have a little playdate while we catch up!"

"Oh sure! I'd love that! We'll be right over!"

"Wait...right now?" Akane giggled.

"Of course! That is, if I can get Eren more than 2 steps away from his TV. He plays so many video games, it's not even funny. He brings his 3DS to pre-school and the teacher always takes it away because he plays it in class."

Suddenly, in the background, a four year-old boy, called Eren, heard what his mother said and blushed in embarrassment. "Mom! You're embarrassing me!" he whined. "I don't always get it taken awa-" "Eren, shush! We're on our way, Akane."

Akane hung up and went back to straightening up the kitchen for the company.

Forty-five minutes later, Mikasa was arranging her plush toys from tallest to shortest in a row. She would often be seen doing this with her other toys like arranging them in an organized rainbow or by highest to lowest number. Suddenly, she heard the doorbell ring and she got up to peek from her bedroom door. A lady wearing her hair down with a scrunchie walked in with her husband, who wore glasses and slightly long hair and their brunette son who wore a Deadpool t-shirt with jacket and red scarf, khaki pants, and was heavily into his 3DS playing Pokemon.

Akane and Herrick greeted them with respect and offered them refreshments. "Good to see you, Carla! You look amazing!" she said.

"Thank you, Akane!" Carla smiled. "Eren, this is Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman. Say hello."

"Hello." Eren said flatly, trying to focus on his game. He was pretty close to catching a Jigglypuff.

Mikasa exited her room and quietly snuck behind her mommy, hiding behind her skirt and trembling shyly.

Akane only smiled at her. "Mikasa, This is Mr. and Mrs. Jaeger and their son, Eren. Don't be shy; just say hello!"

Mikasa gulped and gathered all her courage, trying to say hello. "H-Hello…" she mumbled, still struggling to make eye contact.

Carla bent down and smiled at the shy autistic girl. "It's very nice to meet you, Mikasa!" Grisha nodded and greeted her the same way. "I assume you remember me? We met a few times when you were much younger."

Mikasa only nodded and gripped her mommy's long skirt more. Eren finally looked up from his game and put it away to say hello. "Hi. Mikasa, right?"

Again, she only nodded, but when she heard how soft his voice was, she eased herself from behind the safety of her mother and fidgeted her hands. In return, Eren blushed, but still tried to engage in small talk with her. "Umm...I gotta cool Pokemon game on my 3DS. And...I can't catch a Jigglypuff. So...do you wanna play it with me?" he asked embarrassingly, but really wanted to play with her.

Mikasa looked at his tiny console and back at him. "Y-Yes. I..I want to play." she said in a singsong fashion. The two kids rushed outside and they sat on the porch, playing the game.

As they played, Eren engaged in even smaller talk with her. "So...my mom tells me you have autism. What's that?" He asked. He wasn't trying to sound ignorant. In fact, he just wanted to get to know her. Mikasa looked down at her hands and spoke. "M-My brain...develops different...i-it's hard...to talk to people. But, 's okay. Because I have my mommy and daddy to help me and...love me."

"Does it hurt?"

"N-No, silly! It's not….painful. But...I'm gonna always have it. Mommy says...it's okay to be uni...uni..unik!"

"You mean unique?"

"Yeah! N-No one's….the same!" she giggled and tagged his shoulder. "T-Tag you're it!"

Both children giggled and started to chase one another around the front yard. That is until Mikasa scraped her knee and Eren was quick on his feet to get her a band-aid. At 6:00 pm, it was time for Eren and his parents to go home.

"N-No! Don' go...I'll miss you too much…" Mikasa whimpered, fidgeting again. Eren smiled at her and placed his 3DS in her hand."You can borrow this until tomorrow afternoon." he said. "You helped me catch the Jigglypuff, maybe you can catch the Psyduck for me!"

Mikasa nodded and gave him a soft and gentle hug around his neck and watched as him and his family drove away.

From then on, their play dates were on Wednesdays and Fridays. The more time Eren and Mikasa spent with each other, the more Eren began to understand her and accept her for who she was, despite her personal challenges. He even bought her a Steven Universe Garnet plushie for her tenth birthday. And from that moment on, everything was perfect.

Then that moment ended. It was around 8:00 at night and Mikasa was fast asleep in her room, hugging said Garnet plush. Her room was way too dark at night, which made the shadows look like live frightening creatures, but she shrugged it off and drifted into a dreamless sleep. Suddenly, she heard the sound of glass breaking and doors bursting open.

Mikasa sprang out of bed to see what was the matter. She opened her door and walked down the short hallway. When she finally hid herself behind a pillar, she gasped when she saw two six foot-tall men dressed in black pointing guns at her parents.

"GIVE US EVERYTHING YOU OWN OR WE'LL SHOOT!" the one that looked like the leader yelled, cocking his AK-47 with a dead-eyed glare.

Herrick shielded Akane behind him and stood as confidently as he could. "W-What do you want from us?! Just leave us alone!" he said. But before he could do anything, the other man, who was wielding just a typical handgun, pulled the trigger and shot Herrick in the head. Mikasa gasped and started to shake more that she ever did. "D-Daddy…" she whispered.

Akane heard Mikasa's whisper and acted on impulse immediately. She grabbed the nearest sharp object, i.e. a letter opener, and went to attack both men. "MIKASA, RUN! NOW!" she shouted.

"B-But mommy...I'm scared…"

"I WANT YOU TO BE SCARED! GO NOW! CALL THE POLI-" another gunshot went off, causing Akane to drop to the floor with a bullet in her heart. Both parents were dead right in front of the frightened girl's eyes. The leader of both men saw Mikasa and approached her with a menacing sly grin.

"I wonder how much people would pay for an oriental like you…" he snickered, slapping her face to the ground. All Mikasa could do was lay there frozen and rock back and forth. He only continued to taunt her. "You stupid or something? Pathetic."

But before he could do anything else to tease her, a sudden screaming could be heard bursting through the doorway. When the leader turned back around,his partner was dead, knife in his skull. By the time he knew what was happening, he was then knocked out with a shovel.

Mikasa looked up and saw her savior to be none other than Eren Jaeger himself. He heard the gunshots from two houses down, so he figured it was Mikasa's house, but didn't want to be right. She was so happy to see him, she practically tackled him into a hug. "EREN! I-I was...so scared! M-My mommy...and daddy….they...they…" Eren could only hug her back and stroke her long black hair. "Shhh….it's okay, Mikasa. I'm here. They won't hurt you. Let's get out of here!"

As soon as the cops arrived, Mikasa was standing in the front yard of her home while Eren was getting an earful from his father. "Do you have any idea how reckless you were?! You could have been killed!" Grisha started.

"Sorry, Dad. But I won't apologize for what I did! She could have been killed too!" Eren argued.

"I understand your intentions and yes, you're very strong, but you can't just run into the battlefield like that! What would your mother think?!"

Eren's voice softened. "But...how else was I supposed to save her….?

Grisha opened his mouth to say more, but was at a loss for words. He then shifts his focus to Mikasa. "Mikasa, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Mikasa was still trembling from what happened ten minutes ago. She didn't look up, but delayed her response a little. "N-N-No. Dr. Jaeger….so...w-where do I go now…? I-It's cold...I'm tired…"

Eren felt awful for what she had witnessed. If he were in her shoes, he'd probably feel the same way; sad, cold, and alone. He finally worked up some courage, took off his red scarf, and wrapped it around her neck gently. "Don't worry; you can keep it. That'll keep you warm, right?"

Mikasa stared at Eren in surprise before looking at the red scarf that was now in her possession. She covered half her face with it, feeling quite comfortable. "I...think so.." she mumbled.

"Mikasa," Grisha stated. "Why don't you live with us? We have plenty of room for you. We'll get you everything you need."

"What?" she whimpered. "I-I don't know...w-what if I burden all of you and...and you'd have to k-kick me out…?"

"We won't." Eren interjected. "I promise. Don't think about it: just come on. We gotta go home."

Mikasa teared up, overjoyed at Eren's kindness "O-Okay...home."


	2. Chapter II: Fruit Basket

Chapter II: Fruit Basket

After that frightening night, Mikasa suffered a great deal of shock and received huge migraines. However, with the help of Eren and his parents, she was able to move on, though she never truly forgot her roots. She still suffered from migraines from time-to-time, but Grisha prescribed her with medication to help her cope with them.

Sometimes, when Mikasa was still a child, she'd sneak into Eren's room and ask to sleep in bed next to him. "Umm...s-sure, Mika..." he'd assure the scared girl. She'd then hop into bed with him and snuggle warmly, instantly drifting off to sleep soundly. Even though she had a bed and is a full grown teen, she still asks Eren to sleep together almost every week. From then on, Eren would always take care of her and watch over her because he felt like it was his responsibility. He felt like she needed someone on her side. After all, she was his first real friend that wasn't on a video game screen.

The bright 7:00 am sunrise radiated its way through Mikasa Ackerman's baby purple curtains. She sits up and stretches her arms sleepily, trying to wake up for the day ahead. She was currently fifteen years of age and she already appeared to look like a mature young lady. She skipped out of her bed and gathered her clothes together for a steaming hot shower.

After said shower, she put on a purple dress with mary-jane shoes and as the pie de resistance, her scarf. Ever since Eren gave her that red scarf, Mikasa never once took it off because it meant to much to her. It was a kind gesture that she'll never forget. Eren was the first person to ever show her any kindness, other than her parents.

Satisfied with her dress work, Mika raced down the hall and into the kitchen to be greeted with the smell of eggs, ham, and sausage. "G-Good Morning, e-everyone!" she smiled sweetly.

"Good Morning, Mikasa." Carla smiled back. "Would you like some eggs? I even made you some ham. Your favorite!"

"I-I LOOOOVVVVEEE HAM!" Mikasa eagerly sat at the table next to Eren and smiled her dorkiest yet cutest smile. "Good Morning, Eren!"

"Morning, Mika." Eren said. He then started giggling a little. "Your dress is on backwards! Do you need any help?"

Mikasa looked down and finally realized her dress predicament. "N-No! S'okay! I-I got it!" she nearly shouted. She then dashed her way back to the bathroom, fixed up her dress, and came back to eat her favorite breakfast. "E-Eren, d-do you wanna go watch a movie? We could watch-"

"Sorry, Mikasa." Eren began. "I gotta go to school today. Maybe when I get home? Or some other time?"

Mikasa then put on her pouty puppy face, feeling a bit disappointed."B-But...But...I wanna be with you...we always...do things cause...cause we're friends." She knew Eren had to go to school, but wished school didn't take up ninety percent of Eren's life.

"I'll tell you what." Eren smiled. "How about this weekend, we'll go out to lunch, go see a movie, and I'll even let you pick the movie. Okay?"

Mika jumped out of her seat and hugged around Eren's neck with anticipation. "WOW! I-I'd love to! T-Thank you! Thank you!"

Eren hugged her back and gave her a solid 'you're welcome' before grabbing his bag and heading out the door for school. When Mikasa was little, she was always too shy and socially awkward to go to school. So, her parents signed her up for homeschooling. Carla kept her home-schooled so as to not break her parent's wishes. But, now that Eren was in school, she wanted to be with him, having friends, learning new things, and learn how to communicate properly with others her own age.

After eating breakfast and working up some courage, Mikasa decided to ask Carla if she could go to school with Eren. "M-Misses...Jaeger…" she began.

Carla turned around to look at her after loading up the dishwasher. "Yes, Mikasa? What is it? Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"N-No…I-I was wondering...i-if I could go to school...like Eren. P-Please?" Carla looked confused at first, then transformed into worry and doubt. "Mikasa, sweetie...I'm not sure if you're ready just yet. I've been homeschooling you for a long while because I wanted to not only respect your parents wishes, but I want to protect you."

"B-But I know I'm ready!" Mikasa tried assuring her. "I wanna….I wanna be with other kids….I wanna go outside….I wanna learn by myself."

"Mikasa, I just think it's best you stay homeschooled. I don't want you to get hurt. We're just trying to do for what's best for you."

The young girl's tone of voice changed "But...I REALLLYY WANNA! I WANNA BE NORMAL! Y-You don't want me to fit in, do you?!"

"Mikasa, that's enough. You need to calm down before you hurt yourself."

"N-N-NO! Y-YOU JUST WANT TO KEEP ME TRAPPED HERE! I-I'm tired...of being lonely…" Mikasa ran back into her room in tears, slamming the door behind her. Carla watched in concern and guilt. Did she really make the right decision? Should she let Mikasa spread her wings? Or should Carla shield her with her own?

When Grisha and Eren got home, she consulted with them to see what she should do. "She hasn't come out of her room all day." she started. "I just don't know what to do." "Well, I think you should let her go!" Eren said bluntly. "She needs to be with people her own age. She's not a baby anymore."

"Eren's right" Grisha added. "You can't teach her everything by yourself. I know you want to respect Akane and Herrick's wishes, but she needs to learn things on her own. Besides, she's probably bored at home. Maybe she can work her way up to a scholarship. You shouldn't underestimate her. She may have autism, but she doesn't need her hand to be held every time."

Carla sighed, knowing they were both right. "Okay….but I want her to go to the same school as Eren so he can take care of her and get her through her first day."

"Don't worry, Mom." Eren nodded. "I'll make sure she has a great first day."

Carla walked to Mikasa's bedroom door and knocked gently. "Mikasa…it's me." No response. "Mikasa, I just want to tal-." "G-Go away...I-I want alone t-time.." Mika said sadly. The mother opened her door and saw the raven-haired girl huddled in bed, almost smothering herself with her red scarf.

"Well, you don't have to be alone….because I'm letting you go to school." Mika sat up and turned to look at Carla. "R-Really…? I-I can go?"

"Yes. And you're going to the same school as Eren. He'll help you on your first day and look after you for me."

The raven let out a surprise gasp and hugged Carla tightly. "T-Thank you! I-I promise I'll do good! I-I'll be good!"

"I'm sure you will, baby. I'm sure you will. Just remember: There's nothing wrong with being different. You're no smarter and definitely no dumber than anyone. You have the ability to make a change."

The Next Morning...

"Mikasa's….different...Mrs. Jaeger." a man with blonde hair, broad shoulders, blue eyes and dressed in a suit informed the golden-eyed woman. Carla sat in the principal's office of Eren's school. He was Principal Erwin Smith of Attack Senior High School. "She may have a decent IQ, but...she's too slow compared to other students."

"Well...we're all different, Mr. Smith." Eren's mother argued. "It's not like she's some kind of alien form a foreign planet. You have a diversity of students here that come in different shapes, sizes, race, ethnicity, and mentality."

"Different is quite a stretch, m'am. She's not mentally skilled to study here."

Carla was normally a patient person, but something about this headmaster, who claims to have a doctor's degree, rubbed her the wrong way. "I thought the purpose of high school was to educate, not belittle the skills of our youth." she stated with a pinch of salt in her voice.

"Let me show you something, Mrs. Jaeger." He pulls out a map on his computer that leads to a special school for children with special needs and disabilities. The pictures looked like they were taken in the 1980's and what kind of special needs school sits on a hilltop? It seemed pretty barbarick and out of place like a sock missing it's partner. "There is a special needs school down the street that I'm sure Mikasa will fit in just fine. They take care of every individual student who has any disability you can imagine. Even the mentally retarded and autistic like her. It has positive reviews, clean atmosphere, and is very high academically based for her-"

Carla fumed at Erwin's terminology toward Mikasa. Like THAT wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back at all. "She may have autism, and may be a little slow, but Mikasa is not stupid! She has the right to learn just like anyone else!" Carla interrupted.

"I never said Mikasa was stupid, m'am. I just merely-"

"No. You just said she was retarded, right? And she'll have the same opportunities as everyone else. What's wrong with being different, anyway? No one is exactly the same. If we were all the same, how would we tell each other apart? How would we be unique? How would we be known for our accomplishments? And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let her fall behind because of some bigot of a headmaster who does not allow quote-on-quote "mentally retarded" students to walk the halls of his school."

After Carla was finished with her speech, Erwin stood there with eyes boggled and a look of sheer embarrassment. He scratches his head and sighs. "Alright...just...at least have your son look after her." He finally admitted.

"I intend to." Carla stood up and paced toward the door with one final sarcastic goodbye. "Have a nice day, Principal Smith." SLAM!

It wasn't long after Mikasa was finally registered and ready to step onto school property. She sat in the front seat of Carla's car and felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety at the pit of her stomach. She could end up making a lot of friends, but at the same time, what if nobody likes her? What if the teachers don't understand her? Carla noticed the girl's mixed expressions and rubbed her shoulder. "You sure you're okay, honey? I can go inside with you if you want." she offered sweetly.

"No….I-I'm okay! Eren will help me!" Mikasa assured her. "I'm also...excited!"

"That's the spirit, Mika!" Eren encouraged his crush. Seems like the older Eren got, the more obvious his feelings for her were, seeing as how she wasn't legally adopted by the Jaegers.

Carla smiled. "Remember, love. It's okay to be different. You're perfect just the way you are and will be in the future. Now get out there and make something of yourself."

Mikasa then tackled Eren's mother in a tight hug and hopped out of the car with anticipation, ready to face the day ahead.

"Have a great day at school, my sweet baby Eren! Mommy loves you!"

"MOOOOOM! You're embarrassing me! But...I love you too." Eren blushed, hiding his face as he exited the car to try and catch up with Mikasa.

When she first entered the halls of Attack Senior High, it took her by surprise. The floors smelled of ammonia and cheap perfume. The sound of lockers opening and closing made up the music for the environment she was in. People chattering served as lyrics for said music and the squeaking sound from the heels of cleats and sneakers added on to the busy city-like atmosphere of the building. At first, her anxiety seemed like it would surface like a fish out of water, but by the time Eren caught up, she immediately snapped out of it.

"Mikasa, are you alright?" he asked, concerned for her safety.

"Eren….t-this place...is AWESOME!" she cheered. "T-Thank you for bringing me here! I know I'm gonna do good!" she grabbed Eren to squeeze into a hug and continued to cheer, despite that people could hear her and began to stare. Not with scorn, but with confused awe.

"N-No problem, Mikasa! But...you're crushing my stomach and I might leak spinal fluid if you don't let go!" Eren breathed. She immediately let go and held his hand so he could take her to get her schedule for her first class.

As soon as they got her schedule, they found that Eren shared almost the exact same classes as each other. Only difference is that Eren had football practice and Mikasa had Bela Voce Choir as a 5th and final period. Their first class was Biology with Ms. Hange Zoe, so before the bell could even ring, they made their way to the classroom with no problems.

"GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE!" the instructor practically screamed. "Today, we'll be discussing Genetic Mutations and how they occur. But, before we do that, it seems like we have a new student with us!" she had her eyes on Mikasa. "Come on up and tell us about yourself. My name is Hange Zoe, but you can call me Ms. Hange, because I think that sounds like my last name rather than my first name."

Mikasa stood at the doorway before slowly walking to the front of the classroom counter and sink and kept her head down. She raised her head up slightly and fidgeted with her hands as everyone stared at her.

"M-My name is...Mikasa...Ackerman." she began. "I-I...I'm fifteen years-old and...I like eating fruits and...singing." Suddenly, a boy her age with light brown hair, and a horse-like face raised his hand. "How come you talk so slow and play with your hands like that?"

Mika answered as truthfully as she could. "I...have this thing called….autism. I will always have it, but...I can...get by just fine."

A girl with brown hair in a ponytail and a Pocky stick in her mouth raised her arm. "Were you homeschooled?"

"Yes. E-Ever since I was little…"

"Lucky! You could eat snacks while learning too!"

A girl, who was no older than sixteen with blonde hair in a clip raised her hand, looking bored and somewhat angry. "Are you asian or something?"

"Y-Yes…" Mika answered uncomfortably.

"Think you can teach us karate or something?" her friends behind her started giggling at her joke that wasn't all that funny.

"Alright, enough questions!" Ms. Hange interrupted. "We don't want to make Mikasa uncomfortable here. You can have a seat now, sweetie."

Mikasa then took a seat in the middle between Eren and a boy with short blonde hair and a futon wrapped around his head. "My name is Armin! I'm Eren's best friend. Nice to meet you!" he introduced himself as nicely as he could.

"M-Mikasa…"

"I know! You said it, silly! Eren talks about you non-stop. He says you're a really brave girl for wanting to come to school. You wanna sit with me and my other friends at lunch?"

Mikasa looked at him hesitantly. "W-Will Eren...be there?"

"Of course I will!" Eren patted her head, smiling. "We always eat on the outside patios where the sakura trees are!"

"T-Then…..okay…" she agreed. For the first time in a long while, Mikasa felt like she had a place to belong. She was anxious at first, but she found that it was totally worth it. Not only did she actually meet a nice teacher that understands her, but she managed to make a decent friend. Her parents would be so proud of her; their little girl was growing up.


	3. Chapter III: Escapism

Chapter 3: Escapism

After class ended, Mikasa walked beside Eren and her new friend, Armin. As crazy as the four-eyed Hange was, she was still a good teacher and treated her students like equals. She was the type that was always there for her students if they had acedemic or personal problems.

The trio's next class was Algebra, which made Eren groan through this teeth. "Crap! I forgot we have a test in two days!" he whined.

"You know, I could help you study for it if you take your eyes away from your video game screen." Armin offered, messing with his best friend a little.

"But the new Pokemon game comes out tomorrow! And I wanna be the first one in line to-" "We all have to make sacrifices, Eren." the blonde boy interuppted. "Your grade in Algebra is a 67. You need at least a 70 or higher to pass the test!"

"I-I...I really want you to pass, Eren." Mikasa smiled her cheesiest smile. "Y-Your mom and dad...would be proud. I-I'll be proud too!" Eren couldn't say 'no' to any kind of smile his crush gave him. Especially the cheesey ones. So, he gave in and sighed. "Alright. Anything to make you happy."

Mika giggled and hugged the brunette around his neck, being a bit more gentle this time. The warning bell then rang, indicating only 3 minutes for everyone to get to their classes. "Shit! We're gonna be late!" Eren grabbed Mikasa's hand and ran to the door to their Algebra class.

Once they entered the classroom, their teacher, Levi Ackerman started reviewing for the upcoming test. Of course, Eren started to drift into a dreamless sleep, but Mr. Ackerman usually slammed a giant book on his desk, telling him to clean the windows to wake him up.

"I want those windows spotless, Jaeger. And you better pass that test. That's an order." he growled with his eyes staring down at him like bullets. "Y-Yessir..." Eren half grumbled, half winced.

By the time third period was over, which was only forty minutes long, it was time for lunch. The cafeteria was like the biggest restaurant in the world to Mikasa. She was marveled at how many options of food there were to choose from. Form burgers, to salads, to buffalo wings, and even corndogs. The setting itself was a whole other anomily. Chatterboxes chatting it up, laughter playing like music, and the outdoor patio made her feel like she was at a picnic.

She eventually found her friends and stood there shyly. She recognized Eren and Armin, but who were these other students? Were they nice? Were they mean? Armin noticed her timid nature and smiled.

"Oh! Mikasa, I saved you a seat between me and Eren!" he offered politely. Mikasa nodded and placed herself between the two. She awkwardly looked down at her food and fidgeted with her thumbs.

"Umm...are you gonna eat your potatoes?" asked the girl with a brown ponytail from earlier. She must have been the Pocky Girl from Biology.

"..." Mikasa couldn't say anything. She was left stuck with her tougne tied.

"Oh! Right!" Armin spoke up. "Mikasa, These are my friends! That's Sasha; she loves food, so that's why she asked about your potates."

"It's okay if you were gonna eat them." the girl now named Sasha assured. "I won't take them away."

A boy with a bald shaved head spoke in a cool manner, with no ruch or hurry in his tone of voice. "Name's Conny. Sasha's my girlfriend. We've been dating for about a year and a half now. Nice to meet ya, newbie!"

Mikasa started to get a little comfortable, knowing that these guys were good people.

"So, what was it like being homeschooled?" Sasha asked excitedly. "Did you not have to do homework? Did your parents let you eat while they teach?"

"U-Umm...well...it was okay. M-My parents homeschooled me for a while. T-T-Then...they...went up to heaven...in front of my eyes." she said with a monotone voice.

"Mikasa...I'm so sorry to hear that." Armin comforted.

Sasha immediatly zipped her lips. "I didn't mean to...bring back memories or-"

"I-It's okay...because E-Eren's family took care of me. They...gave me a home and...I still live with them. This scarf..." Mika tightened the red scraf slightly, letting its warmth sooth her. "E-Eren gave me this...after r-rescuing me. Since then, I-I've always been with him."

Eren looked at Mikasa's profile view and rubbed her back. "I'm glad I made it too..." he said softly.

Suddenly, Sasha smelled trouble; and trouble smelled of expensive asthma-enducing perfume and cigarrette smoke. The blonde-clipped girl with a big nose, also from Biology, walked up to the table, smoking her lungs off. Behind her were two partners in crime; a tall girl with short bown tied-up hair and freckles and another girl with short hair as well, but was beige and curly.

"Great. What do you want, Annie?" Eren asked with salt and vinigar flavoring his voice. "I had to find an ash tray to dump my ashes, so I figured; 'why not here?' " the girl now called Annie Leonhart hissed. She then dipped her cigarrette ashes on top of Conny's head.

"Watch it, Dragon Lady!" Conny spat. Annie's friends, now named Ymir and Hitch, snickered. Though, their snickers sounded like cackles from Cinderella's ugly stepsisters.

"You know, you'll die from smoking. Plus, it's forbidden on school property." Armin said bluntly.

"Like I care." The "dragon lady's" gaze averted to Mikasa, who wasn't even trying to make eye contact toward her. "So, this is the new girl. I'm not surprised. Mikasa, was it?"

Mikasa nodded, still keepin her eyes off of her. Something about Annie made her skin crawl. She reminded her of something more evil. More...alarming.

"You know, seeing as how you're asian, I'd figure you'd be smarter." she sneered, walking closer to the black-haired girl. "Oh right; you're autistic. You're the bottomfeeders of the school."

"Annie, that's enough!" Eren warned.

"Why they let you come to school at all is beyond me. But, you better know your place here. You're the retarded phase in human evolution and you better stay out of my way. Got it?"

Mikasa still didn't look at her, but nodded. She was too afraid to speak because she didn't know of the outcome if she did. Annie dumped more of her ashed onto Mika and smiled evilly.

"Annie...I SAID ENOUGH!" Eren went to put and end to this, but before he could do anything, she grabbed him and body slammed him on the concrete before walking away with her clique.

Instantly, Mikasa was at his side, hugging him. "A-Are you okay?! I-I'm so s-sorry!" she cried. "I'm fine, Mikasa. Just stay clear of Annie. She's ruthless."

"Are you okay, Mikasa?" Armin asked.

"I-I'm ok...w-why is she like this?"

"Well, her father runs an illegal loan business and buys his 'little girl' whatever she wants." Conny explained. "He even trained her into some dangerous forms of martial arts."

"I heard she witnessed her father cut off a guy's thumb with no expression what-so-ever." Sasha added. "That's just a rumor, but it sounds real."

"Don't worry about her though." Eren assured. He decided to change the subject. "Why don't you tell Armin and the others your favorite thing to do?"

"O-Okay!" Mikasa shifted her attention to them and smiled. "I-I really love music...a-and I love to sing! That's why...That's why I chose choir as...my...e-lect-ive!"

"Wow! That's pretty cool, Mikasa!" Armin smiled. "I bet you're pretty talented!"

"You should sing something for us sometime!" Sasha exclaimed, stuffing her face with an ice cream she bought.

Mika blushed and laughed playfully.

After the school day was done, Mikasa, Eren, and Armin walked home together. Armin didn't live too far from the Jaeger residence, so it made sense to do the exercise. "So Mika, did you enjoy your first day?" Eren asked.

"Of-Of course...!" she smiled. "I-I can't wait to go back tomorrow! Thank y-you for showing me around and...watching over me!"

Eren blushed and scratched the back of his nape. "Oh! Uhh...y-you're welcome. I had fun too."

Armin picked up on his friend's stutter and got a cheeky smile. While Mikasa walked ahead, he began to tease Eren. "Someone's crushing big time!"

"S-SHUT UP! I am not...she's just...my childhood friend." Eren pouted.

"Eren, it's okay! I understand why. She is a cute girl that's full of life. You clearly mean a lot to her like how she means a lot to you."

Eren glanced at the girl for a couple seconds before replying. "Okay, I like her. But...what if she doesn't like me back? You know how much of a hothead I can be."

"Wow. I didn't think you would admit it!" Armin joked.

"Armin, I'm serious!"

"I know! Just tell her when the time is right. And trust me, she trusts you out of everyone in the world. I know she likes you back." He gives his friend a thumbs-up and the two boys catch up with Mikasa.

When the boy and girl got home, Carla greeted them with a smile. "Welcome Home, kids! How was your first day, Mikasa?

"I-It was great! I-I made...new friends and...I really like my teachers!" she replied with the enthusiasm of a kid in the biggest candystore.

"My day was good too, Mom." Eren added.

"Do you have homework to do?"

"MOM! I-"

"Don't argue with me, young man! Do you're homework! Mommy's still gotta iron your underwear!"

Mikasa giggled while Eren blushed and mumbled in embarrassment. "Fine...Mikasa, do you need any help with your homework?"

"N-Nope! I can do it!" the two separated into their bedrooms and did their shares of assignments.


End file.
